Cinnaminson police officers Garrett McLaverty (left) and Mark Berardis (right) give instruction to Cinnaminson High senior female students in a gym class. The two have taught the senior female students self-defense tactics twice per month since January in hopes of preparing them for possible physical attacks they could face in college or elsewhere.(Photo: Celeste E. Whittaker/Staff Photographer)Buy Photo

CINNAMINSON – Madelynn Thompson and Gabbie Stokes put each other in headlocks and took turns flipping one another to the ground.

Even though they smiled and laughed at times, it wasn’t all fun and games. The Cinnaminson High School seniors were going through a self-defense exercise, guided by two local police officers teaching the class.

Female seniors at the school are getting lessons in how to protect themselves against physical attacks that could occur on college campuses or elsewhere.

“I think this is really revolutionary,” Stokes said. “I think it’s great that they’re offering it to the people that they can because we’re going off to college soon and we are at the highest risk and I love this. It makes me feel so empowered. It makes me feel confident to go anywhere.”

Thompson loves the class and enjoys having a friend there she can “really go ham” with, and she’s also “getting real world experience because we’re both really struggling in this situation and I feel like I can take on anyone now.”

The lessons, which started in January and are given every other Wednesday, are self-defense classes taught by Cinnaminson police officers Mark Berardis and Garrett McLaverty; both are trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts.

The program came about when the school’s health and physical education supervisor Matthew Digney saw school resource officer Michael Czarzasty’s youth police academy class practicing defensive tactics over the summer, and asked if something like that could be incorporated into the physical education program at the high school.

Czarzasty reached out to Berardis and McLaverty and the two quickly got on board.

“I then did some research on statistical information regarding sexual assault against the female population, especially those in college,” Czarzasty said of aiming the class at the school's female seniors.

The program focuses on how to get out of compromising situations utilizing defensive tactics, he explained.

“The main reason for this approach is because we have limited time and we focus on gross motor skill movements which is more advantageous in high stress situations," he said. "We do not teach them to fight, yet we teach them to get away or get out of a situation — situations like someone sneaking up behind you or someone who has you pinned on the ground.”

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Gabbie Stokes (right) and friend Madelynn Thompson, two seniors at Cinnaminson, practice self-defense moves on one another in gym class recently. The self-defense classes are taught by two Cinnaminson police officers, who are helping prepare the senior girls at the school for potential physical attacks they could face in the future. It's offered as part of the physical education and health program at the school.(Photo: Celeste E. Whittaker/Staff Photographer)

Senior Colleen Martens said she’s learned a lot in a short time.

“I think it’s been going well,” she said. “I like it and I think it’s helpful for when I get to college, because I am worried that there’s a lot of college rape.”

Berardis said when they initially started the classes the students were skeptical.

"They had no idea what they were going to be doing," he said. "Then maybe 10 minutes through it they kind of get loosened up and they’re actually having a good time.

“Girls are getting ready for college, they’re getting ready to go into a workforce of some sort. There’s going to be a lot less supervision, but yet they’re still kids. It’s really to make them more comfortable and get them thinking about what they would do if they come into a situation that they could be assaulted or hurt in some way. If you don’t think about what you would do in a situation like that, you’re not going to know what to do.”

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Cinnaminson police officers Mark Berardis (left) and Garrett McLaverty give instruction to Cinnaminson High School senior female students in a gym class. Since January, the two have taught the senior female students self-defense tactics. It's offered as part of the physical education and health program at the school.(Photo: Celeste E. Whittaker/Staff Photographer)

McLaverty said teaching the program has been very rewarding.

“It’s nice to give back to the community that we work in and we live in and give senior girls that live in this town, too, the ability to defend themselves,” he said. “It’s real basic self-defense. We can give them some tips that hopefully stick with them.”

The program was approved by the district superintendent Stephen Cappello, the school board, school principal Darlene Llewellyn, Digney, Cinnaminson Police Department Director Michael King and the Cinnaminson Township Committee.

“If it grows legs and moves onto other schools, I think that would be amazing,” Digney said of the program. “I know for us, it’s been great. Our students love it.”

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Cinnaminson police officers Mark Berardis (left) and Garrett McLaverty are showing some self-defense moves to Cinnaminson High School senior female students. Since January, the two have taught the senior female students self-defense tactics to prepare for possible physical attacks.(Photo: Celeste E. Whittaker/Staff Photographer)

Cappello said students were given the choice to opt-in to the class “and we are happy to report nearly 100 percent participation.”

“I absolutely love it,” Thompson said, grinning. “As you can tell, we really go at it. We’re really able to learn. I’ve tried stuff with my brother and it works. And it’s a lot of fun.”